Crawford avalanche., 1887-04-14
TRUTH STRANGER THAN FICTION.
Strange Story Of the Life OF William
kissane, a California Million
aire.
Indicted for Forgery in 1854. Tried for
Incendiarism in 1857, Now Prom
inent Business Man.

The life of William X. Rogers, or Will
lam Kissane, q wealthy citizen of Caliror-
MA, has been strangely romantic one, and
the circumstances or incidents surrounding
1t read more like the creative fanc:es of a
notion writer than actual occurrences in
real life, The facts surrounding his strange
career have just been brought TO the surface
by virtue of an effort by his attorneys to
have an indictment for forgery against
him quashed in New York court. This
indictment has been pending against him
since 1851, thirty-three long years. The
amount obtained by the forgery was SlS.-
0LO, the Chemical Bank being the victim.
In 1857 he was partner in one Of the
largest pork-packing establishments in
Cincinnati. The record shows that in that
year hewas accused of being ON accomplice
In the burning of the steamer Martha Wash
ington on the Mississippi River, by which
some thirty passengers lost their lives He
was tried at Cincinnati in the United States
Court, before Judge Mclean, on an in
dictment for attempting to swindle insur-
ance companies. Tho investigation was
very exhaustive, and he was acouit ed.
Subsequently the judicial authorities of
Helena, Ark, near which place the confia-
grafton occurred, obtained the custody Of
his body, and tried him for murder. He
was again acquitted.
About this time Kissane went to Califor
MIA and assumed the name of William X.
Rogers. His first venture in that State was
tho keeping OF q store in Sacramento.
Probably he made little money at that,
for afterward he engaged in mining at
Gold Hill, New, with q partner, and to-
gether they achieved great success. In
few years Kissane had amassed between
$2OO,OOO and $300,000. Twenty years ago
he married a beautiful young lady, who
was twenty years his junior They have
now either seven or eight children. The
wife Is about forty-f years old. She is
amiable and benefcient Of disposition. and
is much loved by all who know her. Kis-
sane bears his sixty-fve years we'll, and is
regarded by nearly all his neighbors as n
man of the very highest character. He
lives in Sonoma County, not far from San
Francisco.
Cleveland paper prints nm interesting
chapter in the history of Kissane. It re-
lates the circumstances OF the burn
ing of the Martha Washington, and
the efforts Of Sidney G. Burton 10 run
down and punish the gang in which he
spent S5O.OOO and travelled 1901 miles.
IL saws that Mr'. Frances II. Bowman,
now living in Cleveland, a daughter of Mr..
Burton, has documentary evidence relating
to the case, which includes q book written
by Mr.. Button. IL then says
Few persons are aware that emissaries
OF Kissane were instrumental in causing
Mr.. Burton's d,ath. In the summer
Of 1855 he visited New York, and,
as had been the case throuei out
his travels in the United States
and Canada, his every movement was
watched by Kissane's agents. Early in tho
fall he became the victim of q mysterious
illness aud returned 10 his home here. He
fingered q few months but never recovered,
dying ON Dec. IL, 1855. The fact was es-
tablished at the time that Kissane's friends
had succeeded in smuggling subtle poison
into his food and his death resulted, de-
spite the efforts of the best physicians TO
save him. Mr.. Burton wrote during his &.
travels book giving detailed account of
the case, but 1t was never put in print. II
was entitled The Drama Of Crime: or
Tragedies in Real Life According 10 the
preface the took contains, among other
things, complete confession by William
Kissane."
Colonel @. w. Doubleday, of Cleveland.
who was one of Fiibuster Walkers adm
tants in Nicaragua, said that he knew Kis-
sane when the latter was acting as COM
missary OF the expedition.